Safety device for firearms



y 1945. R. H. BAKER SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIREARMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 30, 1944 I nz'entar Edi biz Harold Bazaar;

and

Wa wy E M5 July 10, 1945. R. H. BAKER SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIREARMS Filed March 30, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Edi "0h Hamid Bazaar,

and

Patented July 10, 1945 TED STATE S PF 2,379,946 i SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIREARMS Ralph'Harold Baker, Independence, Mo. I Application March 30, 1944, Serial No. 528,738

' 7 Claims.

This inventionrelatesto safety devices for firearms, and the primary object of the invention-is to provide such ,adevice which is quick-acting,-

iWith: the above and other objects in view, thepresent invention-consists in the novel form, combination anduarrangement of.parts hereinafter more full-ydescribed, shown in the accompanying drawings .and. .claimed.

In the drawings, wherein-like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the severalvviews:

:Figure- 1 isaa fragmentary side elevational view of ashotg un equipped with a safety device embodying the present invention, the shotgun-being partly broken away and in section.

Figure 2 -is asection taken .on line 2...e2-of Fig- -ure 1,-the-parts beingiin safety position as .in

' Figure 1.

Figure -3 is: view-similar to Figure 2, with the parts in released or firing position.

Fig-ured is-an enlarged. elevational view .of the transverseassembly bolt of the firearm Whichis modified to receive parts of the present invention.

Figure 5 isan end elevational view looking toward. the right of Figure i.

Fig'ure 6 is :a-nin-ner: elevational view of the operating :lever.

"Figure "7 is-anenlarged side elevational view of the-latching plunger of the safety device.

Figure 8 is-an'enlarged; side elevational view of the locking sbolt controlled by the latching plunger.

Referring in detailtethedrawings, the present invention has been shown, merely by Way of example'as-applied to a shotgun having a breech housing-5 carrying alstockii and provided at the bottom with a trigger: plate I-on the under side of which is formed a guard @8 for the trigger 9. Extendingtransversely of thelower portion of the breech housing 5 :rearwardly of. the trigger guard-'8 is an assembly bolt 10: having an end hreaded, as at u t c ew into one id o e breeghhousingiand provided at the other end with a circular head lzreceived in a recess [3 provided in, the opposite side of the breech;

housing 5 o t t V 7 In accordance with. the present invention, the lt in has n a ial bor iormin anels socket M, and slidable in thilsso cket is a latch f A a relatively large portion l5, a reducedportion'lfi and a head]? on the inner end of the, reduced portion I5 the free end of the large. portion l5 being tapered or pointed, as at l 1115 at h 09 1 yieldingly proje d bey h orem end oft e so et" M' vm an of a helical pompreseion spring 1,9 disposed in the inner end portion of socket I4 and interposed between 13h? inner v.vvall oi the latter and the head I 1... f.the latch lt- A ass e!!! is p ovidedthrough thetriggerplate 'l rearwardly of the ,trigger 9 and extends rearwardly, andupwardly in line wi h Qrerine Z Provi e i the bolt m.v isiidebl in thera a 2.0 an gr e -l nezl iswalockil rb l rzz in th form gt a tr i h rod, asshownv, clearly. in Figure 3.

h i v ntion further. include 7 ale e l i hav- 7 ing .a pivot epeningizA. receivingabushing pro,- vided .With ahead 25 eountersunk. ina. rfi fifi t b eech hous ng. 5, as shown. n fi ure; Th s recess communicates with recesses! 3,,alldithe head zfii o the .bushing en a e in a iareliat i re e s ilfiprovtded inthe-head l2 of bolt. in .sothat the latter is restrained against turning and thereby becoming-loose. A screw 21 passesthrough lever 23 andits bushing ,and is threaded into the, side of breechlhousingi as at 2;8. ,,In.-thi s way, the bushing provided with head is secured in place and the lever.,23 is retained on this bushing for forward and rearwardirocking movement about the f-ulliine position of Figurell andviceversa. I

. .Aisoformed in the inner side or face .of. lever, 23

are two concave recesses,.3lnand-32 located below the pivot opening "24 .a-nd.se lectivelyy registerable with the tapered end [def v the latclbolt. The recess 3| is relatively small andtshallow while the recess 32 is relatively larger and deep. Also, recess 31' is arranged to receive theend of the latch bolt when the lever 23 is swung to the rearward full line position of Figure 1, while recess 32 is arranged to receive the tapered end of the latch bolt when lever 23 is swung forwardly to the dotted line position of Figure 1.

The arran ement is such that when lever 23 is swung to the full line position of Figure 1, the latch bolt engages recess 3! so that the latch bolt is held by lever 23 in an inwardly slid position with the adjacent end of locking bolt 22 impin ing the larger portion l5 of the latch bolt. In that posit n, the locking bolt 22 is slid forwardly to the position of Figure 1 so as to enga e trig er 9 at the back of the latter and prevent rearward pullin of the trigger for firing the firearm. On the other hand. when the lever 23 is swun to the dotted line position of Figure 1. the latch bolt is allowed to enter the lar er recess 32 so that the latch bolt is slid outwardly by spring l9 until the reduced portion l6 of the latch bolt coinc des with the rear end of locking bolt 22. When this is done. rearward sliding movement of the lockin bolt 22 is permitted so that the trigger 9 may be pulled rearwardly to fire the firearm. It is to be noted that, although the lever 23 is arranged on the left side of the breech housing in the construction shown. for use by persons who use the right hand to actuate the trig er it may be readily mounted on the right side of the breech housing for use by those who use their left hand to actuate the trigger. It is only necessary to note that this change sim ly nvolves arran ement of the screw 2! and Din 30 on the ri ht side of the breech housing and provision of the sock t M by counterboring the bolt l0 inwardly from its threaded end instead of inwardly from its headed end. In either case. the lever 23 is provided at its u per end with a thumb knob or thumb piece 33. adapted to be ressed for swin ing the lever. It is particularly noted that t e lever 23 is so located that it may be convenientlv actuated by the thumb of the hand employed to actuate the trigger 9, by simply straightening the thumb and using it to press upon the knob or thumb piece 33. Due to the relatively close re]atlon of recesses 3i and 32. the device is quick-acting. convenient to use. and easy tooperate. Als it will be seen that the devic is com act. simple and durable, and may be readily a plied to existing firearms with a minimum modification of th same. The concave form of recesses 3| and 32 and the rounded tapered form of the end I8 of the latch bolt provide a camming actionthat permits intentional shiftin of lever 23 in eithe direction. At the same time. the lever 23 is effectively held against accidental pivotal mo ment unless forcibly or manually actuated. An advantage of the invention is that the lever 23 is actuated by the thumb and not the trig er finger. Also. in orderto release the safety device and condition the firearm for firing. forward pressure is applied to the upper end of lever 2 in a natural manner by the thumb of the hand em loyed to actuate the trigger.

From the foregoing description. it is believed that the construction and operation, as well as the advantages of the present invention. will be readily understood ,and appreciated by those skilled in the. art. Minor changes in the details of construction illustrated and described are contemplated, such as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In a firearm having a trigger and a breech housing provided with a trigger plate, a transverse assembly bolt extending across the breech housing rearwardly of and above the trigger, said assembly bolt having an axial socket open at one end of the bolt and at one side of the breech housing, a latch bolt slidable in said socket and having a tapered outer end, said latch bolt further having a relatively large portion and a smaller reduced portion, a spring normally acting to project said latch bolt, a trigger locking bolt slidable through the trigger plate and having one end arranged behind the trigger and the other end registered with the latch bolt, and a lever pivoted on a side of the breech housing and operable to retract the latch bolt in position to present the larger portion of the latter to the adjacent end of the locking bolt for holding said locking bolt in forwardly moved position engaged behind the trigger to prevent pulling of the latter, said lever being further operable to release said latch bolt and permit projection of the latter by said spring so as to register the reduced portion of said latch bolt with the adjacent end of the locking bolt and to thereby permit rearward movement of the locking bolt and pulling of the trigger.

2. In a firearm having a trigger and a breech housing provided with a trigger plate, a transverse assembly bolt extending across the breech housing rearwardly of and above the trigger, said assembly bolt having an axial socket open at one end of the bolt and. at one side of the breech housing, a latch bolt slidable in said socket and having a tapered outer end, said' latch bolt further having a relatively large portion and a smaller reduced portion, a spring normally acting to project said latch bolt, a trigger locking bolt slidable through the trigger plate and having one end arranged behind the trigger and the other end registered with the latch bolt, and a lever pivoted on a side of the breech housing and operable to retract the latch bolt in position to present the larger portion of the latter to the adjacent end of the locking bolt for holding said locking bolt in forwardly moved position engaged behind the trigger to prevent pulling of the latter, said lever being further operable to release said latch bolt and permit projection of the latter by said spring so as to register the reduced portion of said latch bolt with the adjacent end of the locking bolt and to thereby permit rearward movement of the locking bolt and pulling of the trigger, said lever having relatively small shallow and relatively large deep recesses in the inner face thereof for selective reception of the tapered end of the latch bolt and constituting the means for causing retraction or permitting projection of said latch bolt.

3. In a firearm having a trigger and a breech housing provided with a trigger plate, a transverse assembly bolt extending across the breech housing rearwardly of and above the trigger, said assembly bolt having an axial socket open at one end of the bolt and at one side of the breech housing, a latch bolt slidable in said socket and having a tapered outer end, said latch bolt further having a relatively large portion and a smaller reduced portion, a spring normally acting to project said latch bolt, a trigger locking bolt slidable through the trigger plate and having one end arranged behind the trigger and the other end registered with the latch bolt, and a lever pivoted on a side of the breech housing and operable to retract the latch bolt in position to preable to retract the latch bolt in position to present the larger portion of the latter to the adjacent end of the locking bolt for holding said locking bolt in forwardly moved position engaged behind the trigger to prevent pulling of the latter, said lever being further operable to release said latch bolt and permit projection of the latter by said spring so as to register the reduced portion of said latch bolt with the adjacent end of the locking bolt-and to thereby permit rearward movement of the locking bolt and pulling of the trigger, said lever having relatively small shallow and relatively large deep recesses in the inner face thereof for selective reception of the tapered end of the latch bolt and constituting the means for causing retraction or permitting projection of said latch bolt, said lever having a recess in its inner side, and a stop pin carried by the breech housing and projecting into said recess to limit swinging movement of the lever.

4. In a firearm having a trigger and a breech housing provided with a trigger plate, a transverse assembly bolt extending across the breech housing rearwardly of and above the trigger, said assembly bolt having an axial socket open at one end of the bolt and at one side of the breech housing, a latch bolt slidable in said socket and having a tapered outer end, said latch bolt further having a relatively large portion and a smaller reduced portion, a spring normally acting to project said latch bolt, a trigger locking bolt slidable through the trigger plate and having one end arranged behind the trigger and the other end registered with thelatch bolt, and a lever pivoted on a side of the breech housing and operable to retract the latch bolt in position to present the larger portion of the latter to the adjacent end of the locking bolt for holding said locking,bolt in forwardly moved position engaged behind the trigger to prevent pulling of the latter, said lever being further operable to release said latch bolt and permit projection of the latter by said spring o as to register the reduced portion of said latch bolt with the adjacent end of the looking bolt and to thereby permit rearwardmovement of the locking bolt and pulling of the trigger, said lever having relatively small shallow and relatively large deep recesses in the inner face thereof for' selective reception of the tapered end of the latch bolt and constituting the means for causing retraction or permitting projection of said latch bolt, said recesses being arranged so that retractionof the latch bolt is effected upon rearward movement of the upper end of the lever and projection of the latch bolt is permitted upon forward movement of the upper end of .said lever.

5. In a firearm having a trigger and a breech housing provided with a trigger plate, a transverse assembly bolt extending across the breech housing rearwardly of and above the trigger, said assembly bolt having an axial socket open at one end of the bolt and at one side of the breech housing, a latch bolt slidable in said socket and having a tapered outer end, said latch bolt further having a relatively large portion and a smaller reduced portion, a spring normally acting to project said latch bolt, a trigger locking bolt slidable through the trigger plate and having one end arranged behind the trigger and the other end registered with the latch bolt, and a lever pivoted on a side of the breech housing and opersent the larger portion of the latter to the adjacent end of the locking bolt for holding said looking bolt in forwardly moved position engaged behind the trigger to prevent pulling of the latter, said lever being further operable to release said latch bolt and permit projection of the latter by said spring so as to register the reduced portion of said latch bolt with the adjacent end of the locking bolt and to thereby permit rearward movement of the locking bolt and pulling of the trigger, and a thumb piece on the upper end of said lever within convenient reach of the thumb of the hand positioned to operate the trigger.

6. In a firearm having a trigger and a breech h'ousing provided with a trigger plate, a transverse assembly bolt extending across the breech housing rearwardly of and above the trigger, said assembly bolt having an axial socket open atone end of the bolt and at one side of the breech housing, a latch bolt slidable in said socket and having a tapered outer end, said latch bolt further having a relatively large portion and a smaller reduced portion, a spring normally acting to project said latch bolt, a trigger locking bolt slidable through the tri ger plate and havin one end arranged behind the trigger and the other end registered with the latch bolt, and a lever pivoted on a side of the breech housing and operable to retract the latch bolt in position to present the larger portion of the latter to the adjacent end of the locking bolt for holding said locking bolt in forwardly moved position engaged behind the trigger to prevent pulling of the latter, said lever being further operable to release said latch bolt and permit projection of the latter by said spring so as to register the reduced portion of said latch bolt with the adjacent end of the locking bolt and to thereby permit rearward movement of the locking bolt and pulling of the trigger, said assembly bolt having a head provided with a peripheral recess, and a pivot bushing for the lever having a head engaged in the recess in the head of the assembly ltoolt to prevent turning and loosening of the lat- 7. In a firearm having a breech housing provided with a trigger plate, and a triggger beneath the breech housing, a transversely sliding springprojected latching bolt, a lever pivoted on one side of the breech housing upon an axis transverse to the latter and engageable by said latching bolt to releasably retain said lever in either a forwardly or rearwardly swung position, a locking bolt slidable through the trigger plate and having one end disposed behind the trigger and the other end registered with the latching bolt, said latching bolt having a large portion and a reduced v portion respectively aligned with the locking bolt when the latching bolt is retracted and when it is projected, so as to respectively prevent rearward movement of the locking bolt and pullmg of the trigger and to permit such rearward movement of the locking bolt and pulling of the trigger, said lever having means to release and permit the projection and to cause the retraction of the latching bolt in the respective positions of the lever.

RALPH HAROLD BAKER. 

